Discharge head for fire extinguishers



June 26, 1951 5 L N DISCHARGE HEAD FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed March 2, 1948 INVENTOR ScOTTE/ILLEA/ June 26, 1951 s. E. ALLEN2,558,409

DISCHARGE HEAD FOR"FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Filed March 2, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet2 INVEN TOR. 5C0 7TIA4LEN A T TOR/V5)? Patented June 26, 1951 DISCHARGEHEAD FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Scott E. Allen, Verona, N. J assignor toC-O-Two Fire Equipment Company, Newark, N. 1., a corporation of DelawareApplication March 2, 1948, Serial No. 12,567

Claims.

The present invention relates to pressure indicating means particularlyfor indicating the pressure of the fire extinguishing fluid in anextinguisher.

Fire extinguishers have been provided adapted to use fire extinguishingfluids such as carbon tetrachloride in which the vapor pressure of thefluid is insufiicient to expel the fluid from the extinguisher at adesired pressure. It has been customary in such extinguishers tosupercharge the container of fire extinguishing fluid with another,fluid such as carbon dioxide 01' nitrogen to produce the desiredpressure. A disadvantage of the supercharged fire extinguisher is thatit is difiicult to ascertain whether or not it has leaked releasing thepressure and thus becoming ineifective.

The present invention aims to provide a fire extinguisher having meansadapted to indicate that the pressure in the extinguisher is above apredetermined minimum amount.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire extinguisher havingpressure indicating meansand which is simple to manufacture, efficientin operation and durable in use.

In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objects are accomplishedby providing a fire extinguisher in which expansible means is positionedwithin the container and adapted to be actuated by pressure therein tocause a member to project from the container to indicate the presence ofsufficient pressure to expel the fire extinguishing fluid at a desiredrate.

The construction of the fire extinguisher in accordance with theinvention is advantageous in that the projecting member may be used toretain the extinguisher in position in a wall bracket or othersupporting means. Upon the dropping of the pressure within the containerbelow a predetermined amount, the extinguisher .will slip out of itssupporting means and thus readily indicate that it is defective. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and from the accompanying drawings which show, byway of example, embodiments of the invention.

I In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a front view of a fire extinguisher in accordance with theinvention.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical sectional view of the fire extinguisher and amounting bracket.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention in which indicatingmeans is positioned .On the front of the side wall of the container forthe fire extinguishing fluid.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the fire extinguisher shown inFig. 3 taken along the line 44 thereof.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of a fire extinguisher similar tothat shown in Fig. 3 in which the indicating means is made with adifferent construction.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a fireextinguisher I in accordance with the invention. The extinguishercomprises a container 2 for fire extinguishing fluid, a closure means orvalve 4 for the container, the valve having a discharge outlet 5 todirect fire extinguishing fluid to a fire. An indicating means 6 isincorporated in the container for indicating the pressure therein. Theextinguisher is adapted to be charged with a fluid of low vapor pressuresuch as carbon tetrachloride and a gas such as nitrogen or carbondioxide is supercharged into the container in order to pressurize thefluid to cause it to be discharged upon the opening of the closuremeans. A

The container 2 may be made of any suitable material to withstand thedesired pressure of the fire extinguishing fluid and is preferablycylindrical shaped and made of steel and may be formed of an upperportion 1 and a lower por-- tion 9 which may be welded together asindicated at In. The upper portion 1 is formed with a neck ll having apassage 12 therein. A valve chamber I4 is formed by enlarging the outerportion of the passage l2. The outlet 5 is formed of a tube threadedlyengaged in an aperture 15 opening into the valve chamber M. A syphontube l6 having a flared upper end I! is adapted to, be inserted into thecontainer through the valve chamber l4 and retained in position byelectrically welding the edge of the flared portion I! of the tube to ashoulder [9 in the valve chamber [4. A rupturable disc 2|] is adapted tobe positioned over the end of the syphon tube I6 to seal the containeras will hereinafter appear. The rupturable disc 20 may be secured inposition by electrically welding it to the top surface of the flared endI! of the syphon tube.

In order that the rupturable disc may be punctured and to provide meansfor thereafter closing the opening therein, a valve assembly is providedwithin the valve chamber l4 including a sliding member 2| having athreaded aperture .22 to receive the threaded end 24 of a valve rod 25.The sliding member 2| is positioned in the valve chamber l4 and issecured by a spring ring 26 received in a groove 21 on the inside of thewall of the valve chamber. The lower end of the sliding member 2| istapered as indicated at 29.

3 Adjacent the base of the tapered portion is a shallow groove 39. Thesliding member 2| is formed of a diameter so that it will freelyreciprocate within the valve chamber I4, the side wall 3! of the slidingmember providing a bearing surface against the inner wall of the valvechamber. 'A shoulder32 is formed at the upper end of the side wall 3! sothat as the sliding member 2| is moved downwardly, the spring ring 26will be moved out of the shallow groove 39 allowing the sliding memberto move downwardly carrying with it the valve rod 25. The spring ring isadapted to slip into the space in back of the shoulder 32 to hold theslidin member in the downward position. The valve rod 25 is adapted tobe rotated by a handle .34 s- 1 cured to the end of the rod by a screw35 or by other suitable means. The lower end of the valve rod 25 isformed with atapered surface 35 terminating in a pointed tip 37. A screwcap 39 is adapted to be threadedly engaged over the end of the neck I lto close the valve chamber 14. An aperture 40 is provided therein forthe valve rod 25 which is sealed by an O-ring washer 4| positioned in agasket recess 42 on the under side of the screw cap about the aperture50.

The lower portion 9 of the container is formed to correspond with theupper portion 1, the edge of the lower portion9 being rolled inwardly asindicated at 43 to receive the edge of the upper portion 7, and, uponthe assembly of the container, to be welded thereto, the inwardly rollededge providing a smooth outer surface for the container. An opening 44is made in the center of the bottom of the lower portion 9 for theindicating means 6. i

The indicating means 6 is comprised of a ring 45 adapted to be securedabout the opening 44 by welding or other suitable means. A bellows 45 isattached to the ring 35 at one end and at its other end to a disc-shapedmember 41. The bellows 45 may be made of any suitable material and isconstructed so as to normally extend within the container and adapted tobe resiliently urged in the compressed position by fluid pressure withinthe container. An indicating rod 49 is attached to the underside of thedisc-shaped member 47 and is adapted to project through the bellows andextend outwardly from the container when the bellows is in thecompressed position. The outward end of the rod 19 is formed with ashoulder 50 and a spherically-shaped tip 5| for engagement with abracket 52.

The bracket 52 is adapted to be secured to a wall or other surface byscrews or the like inserted through openings 54 therein. The upper endof the bracket is formed with an outwardly extending U-shaped end 55adapted to engage the top of the container 2, the spacing of the legs ofthe end 55 being sufficient to allow the closure means 4 to sliptherethrough. The lower end 55 of the bracket 52 is shaped to conform tothe lower end of the container 2 and is formed with an opening 51adapted to receive the sphericallyshaped tip 5! of the indicating rod49. End 59 of the bracket is flared downwardly so that the spherical tip51 will readily slide over the end thereof to engage in the opening 51.

In assembling the fire extinguisher, the indicating means 5 ispositioned in the lower portion 9 of the container 2 and attached inposition. The upper portion lis then secured in place. The syphon tube15 is formed with a bent lower portion 69 so that it will by-pass theindicating means 6. The syphon .tube is then secured in 149a by welding,

position by welding its flared upper end I! to the shoulder IS. Thecontainer 2 is then filled with the proper amount of fire extinguishingfluid. The container is then placed in a pressure chamber which isfilled with the supercharging fluid to the desired pressure and therupturable disc 29 is welded into position while the superchargingpressure is maintained. The spring ring 26 is placed in its groove 21and the sliding member 2! inserted in position, its tapered end 29expanding the spring ring 26 which becomes seated in the shallow groove30 of the sliding member. The screw cap 39 is attached closing the valvechamber 14. The valve handle 33 is fastened to the end of the valve rod25 by thescrew 35. By reason of the pressure within thecontainer, thebellows 45 is compressed causing the indicating rod l9 to protrude fromthe bottom of the cylinder. The container may then be mounted in thebracket 52 the U-shaped end 55 of the bracket engaging the top of thecontainer and the indicating rod 49 engaging in the opening 54 of thebottom of the bracket. In the event the container is not properlysupercharged, the spherically-shaped tip will not protrude from thecontainer and it will be impossible to mount the extinguisher in thebracket 52. The construction of the bracket member is such that in theevent the pressure in the container should drop below a predeterminedsafe amount, the spherically-shaped tip 5| will be withdrawn from theopening 5? of the bracket member allowing the extinguisher to drop fromthe bracket thus giving an indication that the extinguisher is unsafefor use. 1

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, another embodiment of the invention isillustrated in which corresponding parts are designated by the samereference numerals as in Figs. 1 and 2 with the addition of I99; In Fig.3 there is shown a fire extinguisher h'il similar in construction to thefire extinguisher previously described excepting that the indicatingmeans It?) is attached to the side wall of the container Hi2. As may beseen in Fig. 4, the construction of the indicating means I66 is similarto that of the indicating means 6, excepting that the indicating rod I49is provided with a head [69a and the bellows I46 is attached to theshoulder of the flanged surface of the head soldering or other suitablemeans.

The side wall I53 of the container I92 is perforated to provide anopening for the indicating rod I49. In order that the ring may beattached to the side wall I64, the edge of the side wall is flattened asindicated at H55 on the drawing. This construction is advantageous inthat the usual form of the mounting bracket may be used. The indicationof the pressure in the container is readily visible without removing theextinguisher from its bracket.

In Fig. 5 another embodiment of the indicating means is illustrated inwhich corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals'as in Figs. 1 and 2 with the addition of 299. In

Fig. 5, there is shown a sectional view of a fire extinguisher 28! inwhich the indicating means 255 is positioned on the side wall of thecontainer as shown in Figure 3. The indicating means 206 differs fromthe indicating means previously describedin that'it is formed of aflexible member 2&6 having a disc-like or doughnut shape section. Oneside '25l of the member 256 is attached to the flattened portion 255 ofthe side wall 264, and the other side 258 is attached to the end of theindicating rod or plug 249 by welding, soldering or other suitableattachment means.

The flexible member 246 is inherently resilient and tends normally totake up a position withdrawing the indicating rod 249 within thecontainer 292. Under pressure, the flexible member 246 is compressed andthe inner wall of the leg 268 contacts the end of the leg 26'! and issupported thereby thus permitting the use of a material which is moreflexible for the construction of the flexible member 246.

From the preceding description, it will be seen that a fire extinguisherhas been provided having means indicating a loss in pressure in thecontainer above a predetermined amount. The extinguisher is simple tomanufacture, efficient in operation and durable in use.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that otherembodiments may be resorted to without departing from the invention andmodifications of the invention as shown may be made. For example, theindicating means shown in Fig. 5 may be substituted in Fig. l and viceversa. Therefore the forms of the invention set out above should beconsidered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. A closure member comprising a housing having an inlet passage and anoutlet passage, a frangible member adapted to close the inlet passage, asliding member positioned within the housing, a rupturing member carriedby the sliding member in threaded engagement therewith, the housing andthe sliding member having complementary grooves therein, a locking ringnormally positioned in the groove to hold the sliding and rupturingmembers spaced from the frangible member and adapted to be recessed intothe housing groove to permit the sliding member to carry the rupturingmember into contact with the frangible disc, the sliding member having ashoulder adapted to be engaged by the locking ring upon relativemovement therebetween so that the rupturing member is positionedadjacent the frangible member.

2. A discharge head for a container comprising a housing having apassage therethrough, frangible means adapted to close one end of thepassage into the housing, a member slideable within at least a portionof the passage, means closing the upper end of the passage, a dischargeoutlet in the housing in fluid communication with the passage, rupturingmeans carried by the slideable member in threaded engagement therewithand movable with respect thereto, latching means releasably retainingthe rupturing member spaced from the frangible means at one distance forone position of the slideable member and when released adapted to holdthe slideable member at another lesser distance for a second position ofthe slideable member adjacent but spaced from the frangible means afterthe slideable member has been moved adjacent thereto, the rupturingmember adapted to be extended and retracted from the slideable member toopen and close an opening in the frangible means, whereby the rupturingmeans may be moved to open a fluid passage in the frangible means andmay be thereafter actuated as a valve member to open and close saidfluid passage.

3. A discharge head for a container comprising a housing having an inletand an outlet and a fluid passage therebetween, frangible means adaptedto close the inlet of the housing, a member slideable within thehousing, rupturing means carried by the slideable member in threadedengagement therewith and movable with respect thereto, latching meansreleasably retaining the rupturing member spaced from the frangiblemeans at one distance for one position of the slideable member and atanother lesser distance for a second position of the slideable member,and means extending from the housing to actuate the slideable member andthe rupturing member towards the frangible member to cause its rupture,the rupturing member thereafter adapted to be actuated. away from andtowards the frangible member as a valve member to open and close thefluid passage.

4. A discharge head for a container comprising a housing having an inletand an outlet with a fluid passage therebetween, a sealing disc adaptedto close the inlet of the housing, a member slideable within thehousing, a puncturing member for the disc carried by the slideablemember in threaded engagement therewith and movable with the slideablemember, latching means releasably retaining the puncturing member spacedfrom the sealing disc at one distance for one position of the slideablemember and at another lesser distance for a second position of theslideable member, and operating means extending from the housing toactuate the slideable member and the puncturing member towards the discto cause its rupture, the puncturing member thereafter adapted to beactuated away from and towards the frangible member as a valve member toopen and close the fluid passage.

5. A discharge head for a container comprising a housing having an inletand an outlet with a fluid passage therebetween, a sealing disc adaptedto close the inlet of the housing, a member slideable within the housingtowards the disc, a puncturing member for the disc carried by theslideable member in threaded engagement therewith and movable with theslideable member, latching means releasably retaining the puncturingmember spaced from the sealing disc at one distance for one position ofthe slideable member and at another lesser distance for a secondposition of the slideable member, and an operating handle extending fromthe housing and adapted to be moved inwardly to actuate the slideablemember and the puncturing member towards the disc to cause its rupture,the puncturing member thereafter adapted to be actuated away from andtowards the frangible member as a valve member by rotating the operatinghandle to open and close the fluid passage.

SCOTT E. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,168,015 Lawrence Jan. 11, 19161,329,831 Evleth Feb. 3, 1920 1,454,662 Wilbur May 8 1923 2,017,319McMullen Oct. 15, 1935 2,187,980 Martin Jan. 23, 1940 2,391,582 MartinDec. 25, 1945 2,391,583 Martin Dec. 25, 1945

